1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for locking the shift lever of an automatic transmission in a vehicle.
2. Description of Related Art
In general, the shift lever is positioned around the driver's seat in a vehicle equipped with an automatic transmission and of which a shift lever body is rotatably combined with a shift lever housing to be selectively positioned to a P (parking)-range, an R (reverse)-range, an N (neutral)-range, and a D (drive)-range while moving along a groove of a range formed in the shift lever housing.
Meanwhile, a vehicle equipped with an automatic transmission is also equipped with an apparatus for locking the shift lever to prevent P→R shift or N→R shift of the shift lever unless a driver presses down the brake pedal, such that an accident due to the driver's inattentiveness can be prevented by the apparatus for locking the shift lever.
According to apparatuses for locking the shift lever that have been widely used at present, as a driver presses down the brake pedal, a sensor detects the operation of the brake pedal and transmits the detected result to an ECU (controller), a shift lock solenoid disposed in the shift lever housing is operated by control of the ECU. Further, as the shift lock solenoid operates, a shift lock release lever operates and an end of the shift lock release lever is selectively inserted into a P-range insertion groove or an N-range insertion groove formed in the shift lever. As a result, the operation of P→R shift or N→R shift of the shift lever is prevented.
However, because the apparatuses for locking a shift lever in the related art are formed of an electric or electronic device, the manufacturing cost is high while a noise is considerably made in operation.
The information disclosed in this Background of the Invention section is only for enhancement of understanding of the general background of the invention and should not be taken as an acknowledgement or any form of suggestion that this information forms the prior art already known to a person skilled in the art.